12 Facts You Should Know about TikTok

More and more brands and companies are using TikTok to promote their products, but many ignore this application, considering it too frivolous. The short video creation and sharing platform has gained massive popularity among the youth. To stay on trend, acquainting yourself with it is advisable. Here are some facts that will help you find out what TikTok is and why this app is so popular.

1. TikTok is an app from China

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and other major players in the market, TikTok is not owned by an American company.

The app appeared in 2016 and was called Douyin — that's what it's still called in China. It belongs to the large Chinese tech giant Bytedance. So, if you've heard rumors that the United States is trying to ban TikTok, now you know why this is happening. American companies are trying to stop the growth of the Chinese social platform, but it's too late.

2. It has over 800 million active users worldwide

This is more than on Twitter, LinkedIn and Snapchat. So, if you thought TikTok was a weird video platform for kids, you should reconsider your opinion.

For comparison, Instagram has a billion active users. And considering how rapidly TikTok is growing, perhaps the platform will soon reach this figure.

3. Over 1.5 billion downloads have been recorded on both the App Store and Google Play combined

The billion downloads mark is very important, and few applications have overcome it, especially in such a short period of time. Don't forget that TikTok launched in 2016.

Facebook, for example, was founded in 2004, and the platform took some time to settle down. Yes, times have changed, and people are now downloading apps more actively, but TikTok's performance is still very impressive.

4. It is the most expensive startup in the world

TikTok is the property of the privately held corporation ByteDance, which was established in 2012. Currently, it is a startup that experts believe holds the highest valuation, exceeding $75 billion. This significant valuation implies that TikTok is not expected to be acquired by an American company any time soon.

5. TikTok has more than 30 million active users in the USA

The app was originally launched in China, and that's where most of its users come from. A huge part of TikTok's audience consists of residents of eastern countries — mainly China and India.

However, the application has gained serious popularity outside of Asia. In the USA alone, it is actively used by more than 30 million people, and the number of users is growing rapidly.

6. The main audience is Generation Z, but not children

TikTok has the youngest audience compared to other social platforms. Almost 70% of the app's users are people between the ages of 16 and 24. It turns out that only 30% of TikTok's audience is over 25 years old.

Many people ignore TikTok because of its young audience, but in fact, it is for its sake that this platform is worth being interested in. Do you remember how Facebook started? Initially, it was a platform for students, and its first users were much younger than those who now mostly use it.

The same thing happened with Instagram. Instagram Facebook got boring for young people because their parents (and even grandparents) started sitting there, so they went to Instagram. After a while, our moms and dads started using Instagram, and the average age of users of this platform increased again. That's why teenagers are on TikTok — it's their app, and their parents don't understand it.

7. TikTok users spend more than 50 minutes a day in the app

Facebook and Instagram users spend about the same amount of time, which indicates a bright future for the app. TikTok is a very sticky platform, and some people can watch short videos on it for hours.

The founders of the app did everything to retain users — and they succeeded.

8. 34% of TikTok's audience actively posts content every day

The level of activity on TikTok is significantly higher than on other social platforms. About 34% of all users post at least one video every day. As in other social networks, in order to increase the audience, you need to post something regularly here.

TikTok gives users organic reach — even if no one subscribes to you, your content can go viral and be seen by millions. The platform has pretty accurate algorithms, and it shows people what they want to see. If others like your content, then you will see a rapid increase in the audience.

9. There is no artificiality inherent in Instagram

When you scroll through TikTok, you mostly feel that ordinary people are sitting here. The app's users do not support the pursuit of excellence that dominates Instagram. While the biggest Instagram stars post staged photos, ticktockers behave more honestly.

At the same time, there is not much toxicity in TikTok — many comments are very encouraging. For example, there, you can find videos in which teenagers with cancer share their stories and find great support in the comments.

10. TikTok is not just about opening your mouth to music

Most people think TikTok is the same as musical.ly — an application where you need to get into the lips to the music. That's what unites these two platforms.

At the end of 2017, Bytedance (TikTok developer) acquired the musical app.ly for over a billion dollars. After that, the two applications merged, and some of the functions of musicals appeared in TikTok.

So yes, there is a connection between the applications, but TikTok is something more. TikTok offers an extensive library of audio tracks, melodies, visual filters, and unique effects to enhance your video creation. Of course, since the app's audience is very young, you can mostly find funny videos here. But if you dig deeper, you can find something more serious - for example, short videos in which people give advice about business and personal development. Big brands like the NBA, Chipotle, and Guess are closely monitoring the app and actively investing in TikTok marketing.

11. There is localized content here

TikTok is a global application, but it has become popular thanks to localized content — various contests, challenges, and hashtags that support and reflect trends.

TikTok users often view the "For You" feed, which is something like an Explore trending tab on Instagram. But they spend much more time there than the average Instagram user. As a result, ticktockers watch not only content from those they subscribe to but also what TikTok algorithms recommend to them.

12. Ease of content creation

Initially, navigating the app upon login can be bewildering, yet the process of producing and disseminating videos on TikTok is surprisingly straightforward. Anyone who does not have any video editing skills can make interesting content without installing additional applications or programs.

Short format videos, so they are made and watched quickly. Because of this, TikTok has a very fast rate of content consumption, and this forces users to log into the app several times a day to check if something new has appeared there.